You can only have one mother
Patient kind and true;
No other friend in all the world,
Will be the same to you.
When other friends forsake you,
To mother you will turn,
For all her loving kindness,
She asks nothing in return.
As we look upon her picture,
Sweet memories we recall,
Of a face so full of sunshine,
And a smile for one and all.
Sweet Jesus, take this message,
To our dear mother in love;
Tell her how we miss her,
May she dwell with you above.
~An old Irish poem~
"Be confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
~Philippians 1:6~
On September 4th we celebrated my mama's 83rd birthday. We traveled to Montana where she lives with my Sister Dear and brother-in-law. One of her ten grandchildren and his wife lives there; as well as six of her 23 great-grandchildren. Her younger brother, Robert and his wife Nell came from Ogden, Utah. We all joined together to honor the day.
I hesitated to use the word "celebrated" as Alzheimer's has stolen away everyday functions and memories. It is so very difficult to see her struggle with simple tasks like dressing, using the bathroom, washing her hands... She has no idea where she is or who is around her. She communes with dear family and friends already passed; like her own mama and daddy and our father. The veil is indeed very thin.
She is fragile and frail and her health problems are too many to list. She pulls up her little blanket and hides her face ~ and perhaps her fears. Her thin, shaky hands try hard to hold a cup or make a fork bring food to her mouth. She can't recall who you are. She thinks she still lives in Utah and is still doing things with her mother and father. I'm almost certain that in her mind she is more alive as the little Dorothy Goddard pictured above than the thin mama here with us.
I look at her hands and remember how those hands were always busy. She cooked and cleaned and made the most fabulous treats! She decorated cakes. She sewed clothes like a professional seamstress. She crocheted, quilted, embroidered and tatted intricate lace. She painted, beaded, quilled, stamped and was always looking for some new craft to tackle. She made a Christmas ornament every year for all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Not only did she do all this and do it well - she taught others, too! She was always eager to share her skills in a class at church or one-on-one. Yes busy indeed those two hands!
Those hands raised three children and taught us all the things we needed to learn. They diapered our bottoms and bathed and fed us. They patted and soothed us when we were sad or cranky. They rubbed our backs lovingly as she rocked us to sleep. They even swatted our behinds when we deserved it! Those hands held our hands when we were afraid or needed a little help. And then they did the same for the next two generations in her life.
And now those hands lie thin and still on her little blanket...
So we honored the day and laughed with one another. We shared family stories and good food. We lit the candles on the cake and sang "Happy Birthday" for the 83rd time. And before the evening ended, a little glimmer of light came into her eyes and she remembered who her little brother was! Sweet, fleeting moments!
Before we left we told her what a wonderful mama she has been here on earth. We thanked her for all the things she has taught us and all the lessons she has shared, We told how much we loved her! But we also told her that when her mama and daddy came around, or when her husband reached out his hand; it was time to take it and go with them home.
The poem that opened this blog is often read at funerals. But when I read it, I thought of how hard it is to communicate with her now. But the Lord knows how much we love her and can take that message to her heart. And He can welcome her home.
Love you, Mama! Happy 83rd Birthday!
God of Love,
Thank you for blessing our lives with a loving mama! Help us be patient as we wait for your time to welcome her home.
Amen
